Regulation of Glutathione Homeostasis in Adolescent Type I Diabetes

Dominique Darmaun, Principal Investigator
Nelly Mauras, Co-investigator

Funding: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation

In recent studies, we found that adolescents with uncomplicated type 1 diabetes mellitus have significant depletion of blood glutathione (GSH). GSH is a tripeptide made in the red cells and appears to be a natural antioxidant. Furthermore, we obtained evidence that the depletion was due not to a synthetic defect, but to accelerated rates of GSH utilization. These are potentially important observations, as GSH is believed to participate in the development of diabetes complications. The overall objective of the current proposal is to expand on our earlier studies, and improve our understanding of the regulation of blood glutathione in youngsters with type 1 diabetes as well as on the role of antioxidants in the oxidative stress status in children with T1 diabetes.